Always Smile for Me
by Youkai Ryuu
Summary: It’s been a few months since they’ve met again and they’ve became closer to each other than they’re willing to admit. As their teams fight for the title, they fight to finally come to terms with their feelings on the track and off. AmyCun
1. Broken

Disclaimer: Don't own, blah

Summary: Oneshot, For Amy and Cunningham it's been a few months since they've met again and they've became closer to each other than they're willing to admit. As their teams fight for the title, they fight to finally come to terms with their feelings on the track and off.

Always Smile For Me

Part 1: Broken

Amy sat down in the grass just breathing in the scents of the garden. She was in one of the large green houses that housed one of the cities most beautiful botanic gardens. She lied down soaking in the warmth, and drowning in the smells and sounds of the wonderful house. She was at peace.

"Don't fall asleep on me now," Cunningham's voice spoke lightly with amusement dancing on his face. Amy snapped her eyes open and pushed herself up quickly. "I know I'm late, but not that late." Amy smiled at him, welcoming him silently. He took a seat next to her, smiling his lazy smile.

Amy blushed a bit. Even though they've been meeting like this for sometime now, she still blushed every time he was near. They fell into a comfortable silence both enjoying the environment and the other's company. Amy kept glancing over at Cunningham, afraid to break the fragile moment.

"If you have something to say, say it." Cunningham being polite, helped break the silence first. He knew by now that if Amy kept glancing at him, it meant she wanted him to say something first.

"Well… We made it," Amy said uncertain how to phrase it.

They had talked a lot after meeting at the track. They even told each other few secrets, nothing to intimate or reputation shattering. They talked about their teams, but never about racing. It was unspoken, that the subjects about racing, analysis, or even their opinion of the IGPX teams, were taboo. Even though they spent so much time together lately, they were still rivals for the championship title.

"Yea, I know. You guys earned it." He spoke, his lazy smile and clam eyes never faltering, though something stirred within him making him shift a bit.

"We've worked really hard and-" Amy stopped abruptly. She didn't know what to say. She still didn't' know how to tell him the nagging feeling that comes with dread.

Cunningham gave his signature grin knowing it would make her feel a bit more at ease. "Like I said before. I'll be there to take the win. I just hope Takeshi does better this time." Amy smiled; she seemed to be doing that around him a lot lately. She knew he understood what she couldn't say.

"Today's out last day off so I won't be able to see you till the finals." Amy said looking shyly away.

"Yea, our too. So we should do something memorable, then." Cunningham said getting up and brushing off his pants. He offered his hand to Amy.

Amy looked up. He was standing in front of sun, making him outline illuminate, but obscuring his features, only his gentle smile could be seen. Amy's breath caught in her throat, it seemed to happen more now that when they began meeting in secret. She took his hand and got up.

"There's this new film that I want to see," Amy said walking beside his as they left.

Cunningham laughed. "What new Japanese horror film is it now?" Amy blushed.

_A week after they met again, they decided to meet somewhere else than the track. So they met at a movie theater. Cunningham being the gentleman that he was, let amy decide the movie. Though he hoped and prayed to whatever god that would isten that it wouldn't be some chick flick or date movie, which made up a majority of the list._

_Amy being who she was insisted that he chose, but he refused. So after few minutes of futile arguments, she chose. And it was a foreign film from Japan. Cunningham grinned to himself thankful that it wasn't going to be some cheesy low quality movie. On closer inspection of the movie poster, he realized it was a Japanese horror film._

_Cunningham glanced at Amy before ordering their tickets. They went in and took their seats._

"_Are you sure you want to watch this? Japanese horror movies are way scarier than the American ones." He asked. He thought that she chose the film that he'll like._

"_I… ah…wanted to watch it for awhile now. But I didn't want to by myself." Amy admitted as the lights dimmed. The screen started to play trailers._

"_You like horror movies?" Cunningham asked dumb founded. You could never guess by the way she acted. Amy's face was completely red as she nodded. Thankfully the real movie began to play._

_Cunningham paid attention to the movie as much as he could, but it wasn't much, he was too busy glancing at the girl beside him. He saw her eyes light up with anticipation and how she was so completely enthralled by the movie. He wondered if that was how she looked like before a race. He loved how the glow of the screen could change the color of her eyes from green to blue. Whenever it got to a tense moment and something just popped out of the corner or when bloods was being spilt, she would gasp and clutch his arm, pulling him closer to her. There were times when she would bury her face into his shirt trying not to look at the screen but she would still take a peek like a child trying not to be caught. And when it got too horrifying for her to continue to peek she would shut her eyes tightly and bury her face into his shirt again. The things she did were so innocent and child like that he would let her continue. He was quite amused by the way she clung to him trying to shield herself from the movie, but still watching it with just as much enthrallment as the beginning. He knew that she wasn't consciously doing it, just to touch him and that made him genuinely happy. He also knew that he couldn't put an arm around her pulling her closer. He knew that it was wrong and that he would break her concentration. But he knew that he wanted to touch her hair and tell her its ok. But he couldn't let himself._

_The movie finally ended, the audience left, talking loudly about the movie. But Amy was still clutching Cunningham's arm, he eyes still wide, he mind still trapped within the movie. It wasn't until the credits stopped playing did she notice where she was._

_First she noticed that they were alone in an empty theater. Second was that the movie ended. And finally she felt what was in her hands. Amy gasped and quickly pulled away her face burning from embarrassment. But the little voice in her head wanted her to continue holding his arm. The thought of Cunningham's well toned muscular arm made her blush even harder. But the thought that really pushed her over the edge was just how well toned was he? This made Amy nearly faint from all the blood that rushed to her head. Cunningham couldn't help but grin at her actions._

"_I'm soooo sorry Cunningham!" she apologized finally gaining enough of her sense to say something, she was still blushing though. Cunningham chuckled at her._

"_It's nothing really," he replied getting up from his seat. They walked out of the theater, Cunningham still grinning and Amy still blushing._

"It's really good. I only watched a clip, but it looks great!" Amy said excitedly. They arrived at the theater. Cunningham paid for the tickets like usual and Amy insisted that she could since he always paid for her. It made her feel guilty that whenever they did anything, he would usually pick up the tab, even though she could. They entered and took their usual seats in the back. It was odd that it was always in the same room that played the horror movies, but the two didn't think much of it.

Like usual Amy became enthralled with the movie, and like usual she kept telling herself that she won't touch the Forward, and failing to remember when the horror started.

_After their first movie, when Amy went home still blushing, she scolded herself for doing something so embarrassing. She was so wrapped up that she didn't pay attention to hwo quiet the house was._

'_I don't believe it! I mean how could I be doing that for hours and not notice? Stupid hormones!' Usually she wouldn't speak or think like that, but the way she acted was unusual too. She already knew about hormones and how she was going through puberty now. He mother and father wouldn't bring up the topic, so she had to study it herself and she did. The only thing her mother ever said to her on the subject of boys was that she'll notice them more than ever now and that she shouldn't do anything that makes her feel uncomfortable. Thinking about that made her think more than ever about the current champion forward._

_She knew that she had feelings for the young man. But she didn't really know how he felt about her. When he kissed her on the track, it was her first kiss. She touched her lips remembering how it felt. After the kiss she knew he felt something for her too, but just exactly what? She knew he was precious to her, but just how precious was she to him? _

_Amy moaned it was so less complicated when she was by herself. She smiled softly, but she knew Cunningham had saved her when she was drowning in her loneliness. The pass week for her was like a wonderful dream she wished that she would never wake up from. In that week she barely felt lonely. The silence of her home didn't bother her. She didn't even think too much of it when her mother called telling her that their trip got extended for a few more weeks. And she thanked him for it. _

_She didn't have to feel lonely anymore, even when she was with her team. Of course she was comfortable around them, and they took away the silence, but she always felt a little misplaced. But after being with Cunningham for a while, she was a little more expressive, letting her teammates into her thoughts though indirectly. Liz might've been the only one who noticed though. She made a comment about it after hearing Amy say something negative, even though it wasn't really negative, about Takeshi's last performance. She knew Liz suspected something after seeing her blush._

_Truthfully Amy was more attracted to Cunningham than she would let herself form a complete thought about it. And she blamed the hormones for making her think about his body. 'If his arm feels like that, how about his abs?' Amy's face burned so badly she slid down on the floor of the hallway. 'I'm waaaay to young to be thinking about him like that! But...' Amy didn't let herself finish the thought or the image that started to form in her mind's eye. 'Like he'll be interested in me. I'm fourteen, I barely have curves or a nice chest, not like Liz…And he could have any woman he wanted.' Amy sighed dejectedly._

_Luca sauntered over. "What's wrong Amy?"_

"_Umm nothing." She quickly pushed herself off the ground and walked to the kitchen. She opened the frig and grabbed a bottle of orange juice._

"_Where've you've been?" Luca meowed jumping up onto the counter. The cat smelled something different coming from his owner. It was a feignt foreign scent that he smelled from her for the pass week. He needed to know where she went or with whom. Amy usually told him everything and like the good pet he was listened. He liked being the one hearing what the intelligent girl thought about. She had been leaving him a lot lately, getting Liz or someone to look after her cat for her. And they agreed with little questions, knowing that Amy rarely asked for favors._

"_Out with…" Amy trailed off. She couldn't tell Luca yet. She couldn't say his name or Luca would get worried. But she couldn't' say boyfriend or out on a date, because she wasn't sure if it was. Come to think of it what were their outings called? In someone else's circumstances it would be called a date, but Cunningham wasn't her boyfriend was her? Amy shook her head slightly hoping Luca didn't notice. "A friend." She finished drinking her orange juice. She went to her room._

_It felt wrong to lie to Luca like that. But she knew at the very least that Cunningham was her friend. So she wasn't lying. But she didn't tell the truth either. Amy groaned into her pillow turning over to look at the ceiling. She didn't know what to call anything anymore._

It had been such a long time since then, but she still didn't know what to call their relationship. And Amy being who she was didn't dare bring up the subject.

Amy clutched Cunningham's arm as the main character and his friend walked into the attic. Amy watched enough horror films to know something was about to happened and she gripped her companion's arm tighter in expectation. But nothing did, she loosened her grip considerably, disappointed. A moment later the door snapped shut behind them. The grotesque corpse of the drowned girl emerged from the chest they had just took to the hallway. Amy yelped and jumped in her seat clutching the brown haired man's arm for dear life. Cunningham couldn't help but smile.

He liked these films, but it didn't faze him in the least. He would sometimes tease the green eyed girl after watching a movie as he walked her home at night, before returning to his apartment.

Finally the movie ended with Amy breathing heavily, staring wide eyed at the screen.

"You can let go now." He spoke lightly grinned at her. Like usual Amy would blush and apologize. They left the theater.

"Where are we going now?" Amy asked as Cunningham turned a corner to the train station.

"You'll see," was all he said as they got on a train. They were silent a few minutes. Cunningham leaned back into his seat his black shades blocking Amy from noticing how many times his deep blue eyes kept glancing her way. Amy herself wore a pair of purple rimless sunglasses, after Cunningham advised her to disguise herself in public.

It took them half an hour to finally reach where they were going. And to them it was worth it. Amy gasped as she looked around her. The noise of children's laughter and scream with the buzz of conversation from everyone in every direction, assaulted her hearing. She smelled popcorn, cotton candy and foods of all sort in large quantities. Cunningham took her to the carnival. It always came during the week of the IGPX finals and Amy had never been to one at all.

"Where do you want to go first?" Cunningham asked. He always allowed her first choices.

Amy grinned like the children around them. Without hesitating or a blush she took his hand in her smaller one and rushed towards the roller coasters.

The line was short so they would be the next group to ride. Cunningham could feel the child like excitement being emitted from her. He saw that she was bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. He smiled slightly. He always smiled when she's around.

They clambered into a seat and buckled the belts and held onto the bar. Cunningham was slightly disappointed that she let go of his hand. The ride started and it was pretty fast, though both of the pilots felt speeds five times as fast. Amy yelled when they were thrown around and around. She giggled and laughed the entire way. And Cunningham thought that he was the louder one of the two. Amy was still laughing as they got off. Without a word she dragged him to another roller coaster. He noticed how much warmer and happy he felt whenever they were touching.

It continued on like that till they tried every roller coaster in the park and Cunningham decided to let loose and join Amy in her shouting after the third one.

Amy grinned at him as she bought a large cotton candy. She ripped some off the stick and put it on her tongue letting it melt. She offered the brown haired man it, he shook his head no.

"Are you sure? It tastes like blueberry sugar." She said eating some.

"Nah, I don't like things too sweet." He replied. "We finished all the roller coasters. Is your need for speed satisfied yet?" he quirked and eyebrow at her.

Amy giggled eating more of her cotton candy. "C'mon," she said pulling him away from the roller coasters.

She looked so happy and free, not thinking too much like she usually is, she was wrapped up in the carnival. It made him feel better too, knowing she hadn't stopped smiling since they've arrived. He really did lover her smile. No other girl's smile could compare. He seen many women smile and swoon for him, but Amy's was different. The other's smiles and laughs were fake and forced nothing was genuine with them. His fan's were from excitement from seeing his own smile. But Amy's was from something else. He didn't really care where it came from, just as long as she smiled. It was so intoxicating for him.

Cunningham snapped out of his thoughts as she realized where they were going. It was the house of mirrors. He quirked an eyebrow at her again and she just giggled blushing slightly.

They walked in, not that many people were there besides them. She let go of his hand again and danced around the hall looking at how the mirrors distorted her actions. Amy didn't know what was making her act this way, but she went with it. This was probably the first time she did anything like this. Maybe it was from the fact that she never been to a carnival or that she had someone special to share her joy, but she liked it.

"What do you think?" Amy asked twirling in front of one particular mirror. Cunningham walked up to her and looked. He chuckled and she did too. Their heads were ten times the size of their bodies. Their eyes still covered with their shades, making them look like bobble heads. Cunningham slipped his off, pocketing them. He gently took Amy's of as well and he saw her green-blue eyes sparkling. His breath caught in his throat staring into those beautiful pools of color.

"Cunningham?" Amy asked uncertainly as he just stared at her. She shifted shyly and blushed, her shy nature coming back. He still hadn't answered her. Hesitantly she took his hands in her and said his name gently. This seemed to do the trick as they young man chuckled nervously, it made Amy bluish harder. She took her shades and pocketed them. And she turned away and proceeded through the maze of mirrors. Cunningham could only mentally kick himself for putting her in such an awkward situation.

They had a great time as they walked through laughing at the other's reflections. Finally they left though the exit.

"It's getting dark," Cunningham commented. "We need to get going soon. Tomorrow's training would need it."

"I know, but just one more pleeeeaaaasssee?" Amy spoke her lips in a pout.

Cunningham gave her a weird look. He was rubbing off on her too much to be good. But he had to admit she was cuter than ever at the moment. He caved and gave her his hand. I mean hey he had been dragged all around the park, why not one more time? So Amy took him to the far side of the carnival, slower than earlier.

They arrived at the Ferris wheel. With the most subdued mood they had that entire day, they got onto one of the car. They took their seats across of each other. Cunningham already leaning back in a relaxed pose with a lazy smile. Amy sat with her legs together and her hands folded on her lap. They watched the sunset like that as the Ferris while began to move.

Cunningham looked at Amy as she sat closer to the window and put her head on the cold glass. He memorized her face and eyes in that light. She was beautiful.

"What are we Cunningham?" Amy asked out of the blue, he still caught the blush on her face. She seemed more than subdued, she looked tired. But the question caught him off guard.

"What do you mean?" He asked back still looking calmly at her. She didn't glance back; she continued to look into the horizon.

"I mean what _are_ we? Are we friends, are you suppose to be like my brother, or are we…" Amy blushed looking down finally glancing at him. She didn't need to finish what she was saying for him to understand.

"Why now?" Cunningham finally spoke softly. He watched her intently. Of course he had thought about it, but he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud. If he did, it would be official and there were too many technicalities to sort out if he did.

"The finals are in a week, Alex. I want to know before we see each other again on the tracks. If I don't know… I don't think I can meet you there…." Amy's voice softened, her head turned so that he wouldn't be able to see her face.

That was the first time she called him by his first name. And he wished like hell, that it wasn't used then. She had always called him Cunningham with gentleness in her voice. He wanted the first time she said his name to be with affection maybe even love, but never with exhaustion and bitterness.

"What do you want us to be?" this conversation was starting to make him uncomfortable. He wanted her to voice her feelings.

"I don't know," Amy spoke in an honest whisper, her eyes glazed over with tears. She didn't want to betray her team, but she knew if she said something that was more than friends, than she would. But if she said just friends than she would loose all the feelings that she had whenever he was around, she could never be with him like they were now.

Cunningham was silent, a bit disappointed with her reply. He couldn't break the silence for her this time. He was in the same situation too. It wasn't like Takeshi and Fantine's, those two were around the same age, their teams weren't as such strong rivals as it was with his and her's, and they had about the same life experiences. He was twenty-one; she turned fourteen a few months ago. Their teams were each other's main rivals, and if Amy was his, he'll be restricting her from experiencing other types of guys and how relationships are suppose to be at her age, nothing too serious. He wanted something more than just kisses and hugs. He wanted a serious long term relationship, marriage was still questionable, but he wanted his lover to be genuine and would understand who he was and not chain him to themselves. He knew Amy was exactly what he needed and wanted, but he didn't want to be the one to drag her down with his expectations.

All he could do was keep silent.

The sky was at the peak of its beauty. They mix of red and oranges were now divided with the shades of blue sent from the night. It hut his heart terribly, seeing her eyes mirror the blue but brimming with tears. He wanted to walk over and hold her close, taking away the pain and loneliness that had destroyed her fragile world. He knew it took a lot of courage to say what neither of them had for the pass months. But he knew he couldn't, he couldn't even move. He sat their laid back in a relaxed pose though every muscle was stiff and the lazy smile was gone.

Finally the Ferris wheel stopped and someone opened the door for them. Amy put on her shades again and left without a word. Cunningham followed a minute later.

End Part: 1

* * *

Well that's the first part! Hope you liked it! And remember review! 


	2. Perfection

Disclaimer: Yup, don't own. Would love to though D

Part 2: Perfection

With shaking hands Amy pulled out her cell phone. She sat in an empty train compartment. Rush hour was over and everyone was at home, leaving Amy with her choice of seating. So she sat in a corner not too close or too far from the light, hunched over. She ran her thumb over the cover, hooking it under the cover. Hesitantly she flipped it open. She dialed Liz's number.

"Hey Amy, when are you coming back for the cat?" Liz said loudly. Amy heard her mumbling something about Luca being annoying. She smiled weakly.

"Liz," Amy whispered, her voice seemed to have left her too.

"Amy? Is something wrong? Where are you?" Liz's voice started to rise in concern. Amy could see the worry of her friend in her mind's eye.

"Where are you," Midfielder asked. She started to feel uncomfortable in her seat.

"At the gym. Where are you?" Liz asked again. She was worried. Amy never sounded this down before. Even Luca could sense that something was amiss.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Are you sure? Want me to come pick you up?"

"No, its too much trouble."

"If you say so…"

"Yea, later."

"Amy,"

"Yea, Liz?"

"Cheer up. Its not like you to be this down."

Amy smiled slightly, a small and sad smile. She nodded though Liz couldn't see. "I'll try." She closed the phone, The young girl scooted closer to the window, her head resting on the cold glass. It felt good, contrasting the heat from her face. She would try to cheer up. She really wanted to hold Luca at that moment.

* * *

Cunningham took his time getting on the train. He made sure that she wasn't in the compartment before getting on. He walked onto the train, it was practically empty besides a few business men getting off work late. He took a seat closest to the door.

The ride was silent only the feint sound of the moving train kept it from being deafening. Cunningham rested his head on the wall behind him. The scene from the Ferris wheel kept replaying in his mind. If only something else happened, but he knew it was inevitable. He groaned silently, sliding down his seat a bit.

This was way too complicated. He wished they had left on good terms, because he knew that the next time he would see her, she couldn't be Amy Stapleton, the girl with a beautiful smile and plays the violin expertly, but Amy Stapleton, the Midfielder of Team Satomi. Come to thing of it, he never really thought of her when Team Satomi was racing, of course he'll note some of the more daring moves, but he usually focused on Takeshi. On the track, Takeshi was the only one with enough potential to become his rival.

His phone rang. He pulled it out and opened on the fourth ring.

"Hello," Cunningham muttered. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Hey, when you comin'?" Dew asked sluggishly. "We're parytin' befo' old man Hamgra makes us," There was a loud thud and Cunningham heard Jan's frantic speech as he tried to help Dew up. The Defender was laughing and shouting for more wine. He heard the phone being picked up.

"Cunningham?" It was Jan.

"Yea, I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Are you ok, man?"

"Uhn,"

"Ok, see you then." Without bothering to say bye he closed his phone.

* * *

Amy arrived in the gym to see Liz rush up to her.

"What's wrong?" Liz's tone made it clear that she had to answer. Amy walked over to the stationary bike. Liz followed her and sat on the one next to her's. Silently they both began to work out.

"I shouldn't of said anything." Amy said. Luca meowed and sat in front of her.

"To who? You mean you boyfriend?" Liz questioned, only glancing at the younger girl.

_After the second time of cat sitting, Liz demanded to know where she went. Amy being somewhat shy on the subject was speechless. Liz stopped by to drop off Luca on her way home._

_They were in Amy's kitchen. Liz was sitting on a stool at the marble counter. Amy was cooking away, making dinner for the both of them._

"_Seriously Amy, the semi-finals are coming up and we're against Sledge Mama! Can't you tell your friend that you need to focus on racing?" Liz said exasperated. She scowled as Amy gave her an apologetic smile and placed the two plates on the counter. She took a seat next to the red head as she continued to rant. "Hey Amy," the midfielder nodded as she took a bit form her dinner. "Who's your friend anyways?"_

_Amy's cheeks turned red and she continued to eat. "I think you know of him."_

"_Him?" Liz's eyebrows rose. She grinned. "You have a boyfriend now? I know it had to be something like that! Who's he?"_

"_He's not my boyfriend!"_

"_Riiiiiight. Who is he though?" _

"…_I don't think…he'll want you to know…"_

"_Huh? What do you mean?"_

"_We're not exactly dating.."_

_Liz quirked an eyebrow. "I say taking time off from our schedule and going out together is dating." Her stomach turned. She didn't feel well. When amy said 'him', everything after felt so forced that it seemed fake. Liz's stomach turned again. She couldn't blame the food; Amy was a really good cook. It felt like someone was pulling her along like a puppet. They moved her mouth and spoke with her voice. Though she hated how she was acting now, she was thankful that she was speaking and acting so animatedly. All the while a voice in the back of her head was screaming her jealousy._

_Amy smiled. "We can't… It's just weird right now."_

_The strings snapped. Her stomach seemed to settle. The spell was over. Everything came back to Liz right then. She blinked twice._

"_Liz are you ok?" Amy asked uncertainly._

"_Amy get it together."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_The defender sighed and ran a hand through her short hair. "If you like him, tell him. Just get everything straightened out before the finals, so you can focus."_

_Amy sat there speechless._

"_Just promise me you'll get it together before then, ok?"_

"_Sure Liz."_

_The two ate the rest of their dinner, chatting about whatever came in mind._

"He's not my boyfriend. We were never dating." Amy finally said.

"Then why're so miserable? Did he break up with you? I swear, just tell me his name and I'll beat the living shit out of that no good asshole!" Liz shouted getting worked up. She peddled faster on the machine.

Amy smiled as tears welded up in her eyes, she only nodded. Liz's enthusiasm quickly deflated as she saw Amy's face.

'I'm gonna slug that bastard for making her cry.' Liz thought angrily to herself. She quickly gained her resolve as the two of them exercised till they were exhausted.

* * *

Cunningham entered the hotel room and saw Dew laying on the couch and drinking wine out of the bottle. 

"Hey my man!" the drunk shouted waving the arm with the bottle, he hiccupped and laughed.

Jan returned from the bathroom and shook his head at his teammate's action. "Hey Cunningham! What've you been doing the entire day?" he walked over to the minibar and mixed himself a drink.

The man in question just shrugged and took a seat in the large easy chair near the windows.

"He's been out wit'," Dew said sluggishly6 and hiccupped. "his girlfriend."

Jan blinked and quietly excused himself back to the bedroom, leaving his drink at the bar. He didn't want to pry into Cunningham's personal life.

Cunningham thanked the younger man silently as he watched him walk away. But he somewhat glared at Dew. He still had no idea how Dew figured that out, but at first it was a relief.

_The blue eyed man finished the day's training with a smile, though not really a smile, but the corners of his lips turned slightly upward._

"_You seem happy," Dew commented as they both left the building._

"_Really?" he answered, though he knew he was._

"_From the looks of it, I'll say…" the defender took his time scrutinizing the forward, a huge grin broke out on his tanned face. "That you got yourself a girl."_

"_What makes you say that?"_

"_You're a lot more energetic lately and you've been sneaking off." Dew paused, he thought carefully before saying what he truly meant. "And I saw your arm. It looked like the girl was a bit clingy…"_

_Cunningham's cheeks slightly colored before shrugging it off. He didn't mind too much with Dew knowing. As a matter of fact he felt somewhat relieved, that he didn't need to hide it from the defender. He knew if he tried, Dew would start stalking him to see what he was up to._

"_So who's the lucky girl?"_

_Cunningham shrugged and didn't answer. He liked to see Dew hurt himself by thinking too much of trivial things._

"_Don't tell me it's one of those Skylark chicks."_

_Cunningham flinched. He never expected that._

"Wha' chu broke up wit' 'er or she broke up wit' chu?"

"We didn't break up," the forward said firmly, his gaze never leaving the drunk on the couch. "Besides we were never going out in the first place." He suppressed a shudder. He never wanted to say that aloud again.

Dew suddenly pushed himself up in a slouched position, his elbows resting on his knees. He tried to focus his gaze on his teammate. "No, you were. I'll even say you're in love with her too."

Cunningham's heart clutched after hearing Dew's words. "No I wasn't."

"Yes you are. You still love her."

Cunningham only sighed and leaned back. He broke off their staring contest and looked out of the window. He slumped more into his chair when he saw that Amy's house didn't have any lights on. He damned Dew; sometimes that drunk was right.

* * *

Amy walked into her over bearingly quiet home. Luca quickly slipped in. She took a shower and changed into her pajamas. Luca was somewhere in the huge house. She thanked the cat for giving her some space. 

Amy sat on the carpeted floor of her room. She didn't bother turning on the lights, she just let the street lamps outside filter their meager light in. It felt strange now. She never minded her large room before, but at that moment, she felt like a stranger stranded in an abandoned mansion.

Her green eyes glanced around for some object that belonged only to her, but she found none. Her heart began to race and her body trembled. She tried to stand but her body wouldn't respond. Her breath began to hitch and shallow out, soon she was hyper-venalating. The tears finally came. She turned her head this way and that trying to find some solace in her processions, but couldn't.

And finally her voice came. First she cried aloud and buried her face into her knees. She had always been the good girl. She followed all the rules, did what was expected from her and always strived to be better. So why was it always her that has to be punished?

_Amy sat on the uncomfortable chair and listened carefully when her teacher started to explain how to achieve the best sound on all string instruments. Her teacher began to have her place the major scales for each instrument._

_Her teacher stepped out of the room to get some sheet music for the five year old girl to take home. _

_Amy played the cello for a few minutes before loosing interest. She glanced over to the piano often, thinking about last night. Her parents took her to a piano concert featuring the best pianist around. After his performance her parents talked personally with him. Amy stayed quiet and stood in a corner, her mouth set in a deep frown._

_She had performed a really difficult piece by Mozart on the piano, but they only told her she did a good job and petted her. They bought her a new grand piano, thinking she wanted one. But all she wanted was their attention and to spend more time with her._

_Her parents gushed their praise for the pianist once more totally ignoring her._

_Amy glared at the piano hopping it would burst into flame. But after a failed attempt, she moved over to the large basses. She wasn't big enough to support playing it, so she just plucked the strings in a random tune._

_But the little girl kept thinking about last night, she didn't know what made her do it then, but she knew it was out of spite and anger. She tipped the large bass over, and it fell onto the piano's keys. It didn't break it, but it snapped the neck of the bass as well as the strings. For a moment she was disappointed that the piano wasn't broken, but a second later she was frantic about getting into trouble._

_Her teacher rushed back in after hearing the loud sound. She found her student standing over the broken bass with tears in her eyes._

No matter how good she was or became, they only noticed for a little while before going back to their lives that she wasn't apart of. Her parents had forgotten her birthday more than once and when they do they just take her on their business trip. For those rare occasions she only enjoyed the trip with them, but after arriving she was left alone with a babysitter in a place far from home.

Amy suddenly stood up, fueled by anger and crying hysterically. She saw herself in her vanity when she did. The teen grabbed the nearest object and wanted to throw it at the mirror, but she couldn't She wiped her head around, intending to destroy her perfectly neat and empty room, but she found out she couldn't She held different and expensive items intending to smash them against the wall, but she could only drop them. Finally she fell onto the ground her hair messed up and in her tear stricken face.

"Damn them. Damn you! I don't need anyone of you!" Amy screamed louder than she thought she could and cried herself to sleep.

She woke up with the sun. She spend most of the sunrise just laying there with her dropped objects. She didn't' want tot think, she didn't want to be, Amy Stapleton. She just wanted to exist, only to breath and exist, not live.

Her home phone rang, but she didn't give it any thought. She didn't want to be awake.

"Hey Amy!" Liz shouted as she got the voice mail. "You're supposed to be here an hour ago! Remember its training day! Well… just be here by nine at the latest ok?" Liz closed the connection.

Luca meowed and sat next to Amy. He had never seen his owner have such a bad breakdown. After the accident with the bass and piano, Amy forced herself to stop caring and become a little bit more reserved each day. It wasn't a good thing considering she was a really sensitive person. The only time before last night that the green eyed girl had a breakdown was on the seventh birthday; the day he became her pet.

_Amy cuddled the kitten smiling. She had just been dropped off home by her mom._

"_Luca are you hungry?" Amy asked going into the kitchen. The kitten meowed in response. She opened a can of cat food for him. While they were out, her parents had people set everything up for the kitten._

"_I know you can understand me, but you might not remember it later… But I'm only going to say this once. I don't need anyone else, but I want you to be with me."_

_The kitten cocked his head to a side and meowed. Amy smiled. "My parents don't need me nor do anyone else. So I'll learn to not need them. That way when I leave things would be easier for all of us." The kitten meowed again._

_That night Amy threw a tantrum. She locked Luca out of her room and screamed. She even managed to break her window. A day later she developed a very bad cold._

"Damn them." Amy muttered and got up. She swayed slightly and had to hold onto the desk. She slowly made her way to the bathroom. After taking a showers and changing she and Luca left.

"Amy," Luca meowed beside her. Amy only nodded. "You haven't eaten much lately."

"I only skipped dinner and breakfast. And besides, I'm not really hungry right now."

"But every time you do eat, you don't' eat enough."

"Luca, not right now." Amy continued to walk, not looking at her worried cat.

"You're starting to look a bit yellow." The cat observed.

Amy said nothing. She felt a bit off for a while now, but she couldn't care at the moment.

They reached the Satomi headquarter in silence. Amy stumbled inside and held onto the wall.

"You ok, Amy?" Takeshi asked. He came from the hallway leading to the garage.

Amy nodded but didn't speak. She stopped for a moment to clear her head of the dull buzzing noise. Takeshi just silently accompanied her to the training room.

"Are you sure you can train today? You look a bit yellow." The forward asked. Luca meowed in agreement, but he couldn't understand the cat.

"I'm fine," Amy snapped glaring at the boy. Takeshi stood there dumbfounded as Amy quickly went off. It was the first time he heard Amy use that tone.

Amy was moody the entire time, but when asked what's wrong she would just look down and not say. Liz knew what the problem was, but she wouldn't say anything either.

Finally their training was over for the day. The only thing left was a last minute press conference.

They arrived to a lot of noise and reporters shouting their questions. The interview thankfully wasn't too long and Amy didn't fall asleep. The rest of the team seemed really energized.

"We feel that we've made a great accomplishment by being where we are now. But we are doing our best to prepare to win the title. Our team needs their rest for tomorrow's training, now if you'll excuse us…" Ms. Satomi got up along with everyone else.

The reporters shouted to get one more statement, but they didn't respond. The cameras kept flashing and it started to make Amy dizzy. She was tired when she woke up, but after training and the conference she was exhausted and hungry.

The midfielder walked off the stage with her team. Amy felt her cheeks grow warm form the heat, but that didn't explain why she felt dizzy and nauseous. She stumbled slightly, but no one noticed. Luca meowed worriedly when he saw Amy's face. She really did start to look yellow. Amy tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, but she couldn't Her breath was shallow and fast.

She tugged on Takeshi's sleeve. He looked over his shoulder at her. "Something wrong?" He muttered to her. The noise from the press made it so no one else heard. Amy looked horrible and yellow.

"I think I might be sick." She muttered as she collapsed. Takeshi caught her.

The press roared with the new development and practically attacked Team Satomi, shouting for statements. But the Team was shouting for an ambulance.

"Amy," Liz shouted shaking the younger girl, but it did nothing. The rest of th time before the ambulance arrived was spent protecting the team and Amy from getting harassed.

* * *

Jan rushed toward Hamgra's office. He knew he was really late to the meeting. He entered the room bent over and breathing hard. 

"Jan, you're twenty minutes late," their coach said glaring at the midfielder.

"I know, but turn on to the news." Jan huffed.

Dew turned on the TV in the office. The rest of the team was still annoyed at Jan, but it quickly disappeared.

On the news was a clip of Amy collapsing into Takeshi's arms and then being put into an ambulance.

Cunningham's heart plummeted. He wanted to be the one Amy fell into, but more importantly he was worried. He wanted to be with her then. She looked so small and helpless being carried away on the stretcher. But he knew he couldn't go to her, he stood in the office with the rest of his team as the announcer began to talk.

"Amy Stapleton of Team Satomi had been taken to the hospital. The team's owner only had this to say…" the scene changed to a close up of Ms. Satomi.

"This was unexpected, but this doesn't mean we'll be out of the finals. Until we have a diagnosis, and have reviewed all of our options, the race will still take place at the scheduled time." The scene changed again to the announcer.

"Right afterwards the team left to the hospital. And we have just received word that Ms. Stapleton has a minor case of anemia."

The TV shut off. The men looked at their coach who had a smug expression.

"This doesn't mean that any of you can slack off. It just means that our victory is almost guaranteed." Hamgra said looking the young men in the eyes. And for a moment he thought he saw a bit of hurt and worry in Cunningham's eyes.

End ch: 2

* * *

Well, I'm sorry for any spelling and grammar mistakes. I'm leaving for tomorrow and wanted this up before then. So review! 


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